This invention relates generally to salvaging dynamoelectric machine components and in particular to an apparatus and a method for severing from windings in a dynamoelectric machine stator end turns thereof, a method of mounting such stator with respect to a predetermined plane along which such winding end turns are adapted to be severed, and means for mounting such stator in apparatus for severing such winding end turns.
Dynamoelectric machines, such as an electric motor or the like, are provided with a stator having a pair of opposite and generally parallel end faces intersected by a bore extending generally axially therebetween through the stator. A plurality of winding receiving slots are also provided in the stator about the bore thereof and intersecting with both the bore and the opposite end faces. A plurality of stator windings generally respectively constituted by a preselected number of turns of copper or aluminum wire or the like are wound or otherwise inserted by means well-known to the art into the stator winding slots. In this manner, opposite sides of the winding turns are disposed within the winding slots, and opposite ends of the winding turns span across a selected number of winding slots adjacent the intersections thereof with the opposite end faces exteriorly of the stator. These opposite ends of the winding turns are respectively formed into generally annular groupings extending from the opposite end faces radially outwardly of the stator bore and are known to the art as end turns. Of course, if desired, the particular wire of the windings may have an insulating coating thereon, and slot liners and wedges may be provided within the stator slots for insulation between the windings and the stator are material, as well-known in the art. Further, in some instances, the stators may be assembled by various means and methods generally known in the art as bonding. For a detailed discussion of one such bonded stator and method of assembly thereof reference may be had to U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,143 and Reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 26,788.
In the past, wound stators, such as described above, which were found to be defective for one reason or another either at the time of manufacture or after usage, were stripped of their windings. In this manner, salvaged stators which were in condition for reuse were rewound, and those which could not be reused were sold for scrap. Of course, the stripped windings could not be salvaged and were sold for scrap. In some cases, the entire wound stator may have been sold for scrap, but due to the formidable increases in the cost of stator core material, it is now more economically prudent to salvage stators for reuse if possible.
Various apparatus and methods have been employed in the past to sever end turns from the windings of a wound stator. Of course, one of the more widely used of such methods usually employed in smaller motor repair shops was to cut the end turn from the stator windings by the manual use of a hacksaw or the like. A disadvantageous or undesirable feature of this past method for severing end turns is readily apparent in that it was too time consuming so as to be unsuitable for use in salvaging stators on a production line basis. Another disadvantageous or undesirable feature was that a slight miscalculation or slippage of the hacksaw may blemish or nick the stator end face or even sever a portion of the stator end face thereby to render it unsalvagable.
In other past apparatus and methods for severing end turns from stator windings, a wound rotor was leveled on a table by inserting shims or blocks between one end face of the stator and the table, and the stator was then clamped in its leveled position to the table by a suitable adjustable clamping arrangement. A circular power saw was thereafter adjustably located generally axially of the stator and lowered to a cutting plane generally adjacent the upper end face of the stator. The power saw was then swung about adjustable supporting arms therefor in its cutting plane into severing or cutting engagement with the generally annular end turn to sever it from the stator winding. One of the disadvantageous or undesirable features of this past apparatus and method was that too much time and too many operations were involved in leveling the wound stator, then clamping it, then moving the power saw generally axially of the stator, and then adjusting the power saw to the desired cutting plane thereof. Another disadvantageous or undesirable feature of such past apparatus and method was that if the proper cutting plane of the cutting saw was not properly adjustably ascertained and maintained, the power saw would cut into the stator thereby to render it unsalvagable.